


Moonstruck

by twoseas



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Clint has a crush on Coulson, Love at First Sight, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Principal Nick Fury, Smitten Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers likes to fight, Teacher Phil Coulson, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, thems the rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 09:39:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14376096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoseas/pseuds/twoseas
Summary: Steve Rogers is the new kid at school and Bucky Barnes doesn't stand a chance.





	Moonstruck

**Author's Note:**

> I've never done a High School AU, but for some reason I've had this planned forever. I originally wanted to make it a series or a multi-chapter work featuring most of the Avengers characters, but time and inspiration have made that improbable. So instead here's a little one shot, please enjoy!
> 
> Also, I have a lot of extra info on this with no where to go, so for those who are interested I have some of my comments/backstories on the characters in the end notes. Will my excessiveness know no bounds???

Bucky Barnes met Steve Rogers on a Tuesday. 

 

He leaned his chair onto its back two legs and ignored the disapproving look from Mr. Coulson. Natasha was reclined in the seat next to him, blowing a dramatically large pink bubble out of gum. The bell rang just as a skinny blond kid entered, an apologetic expression on his face as he handed a sheet of paper to the teacher. 

“Ah, Mr. Rogers. Welcome to the class. Take a seat. Whatever’s free is fine.” Mr. Coulson gestured out over the classroom, smiling kindly. 

Natasha waved the kid over and Bucky dropped his chair to all four legs, attention well and truly piqued. The only free desk in their area was in front of her and no one sat in front of Natasha. That was her foot resting chair. Everyone knew that. And yet here she was, waving this new guy over to sit in the infamous chair.

“Hey, Nat,” the kid whispered. Bucky sat straight, eyes boring into Natasha’s. Hardly anyone was allowed to call her Nat, but suddenly this new guy could?

“Hey, Steve.” She leaned forward with her trademark smirk and glint in her eye. “Meet my friend.”

“Bucky Barnes,” Bucky spoke up immediately, attention already caught by the new student’s features. He was skinny and pale, with a prominent nose, high cheekbones, petal pink lips, and the prettiest blue eyes. His hair fell against his forehead in a soft looking fringe of blond and Bucky’s fingers itched to run through it. Natasha’s smirk widened, as if she could read his mind. 

“Hi, I’m Steve Rogers,” the new guy gave him a small, shy smile that was so endearing Bucky felt his stomach clench. 

“Steve and I had first period together too,” Natasha told Bucky. She threw her hair back. “He’s nice and good at biology. I think I’ll keep him.”

“They’ll engrave that on my tombstone,” Steve joked. He started to unpack his things, taking out a notebook, pens, and even three different colored highlighters. When Mr. Coulson cleared his throat, Steve turned fully in his seat, taking notes as fast as Mr. Coulson could spout facts. Natasha feigned indifference, not taking any notes, but he could see her listening just as intently as the furious notetaker in front of her.

Bucky snorted. No wonder he and Natasha got along. They were both attractive dweebs. 

 

They left for lunch together when the bell rang and Bucky felt his focus on Steve sharpen. As they walked through the hall, Steve stopped to pick up every piece of trash he saw. Once he stopped to keep a girl’s locker open and hold her books as she struggled to stuff her things into the small space. He went out of his way to help one of the AV club members when all the cables fell off the TV cart. 

“Ok,” Bucky whispered to Natasha as they wound a few cables to help as well. “How the hell is he this nice?”

“First period he volunteered to put up the blood drive flyers,” she told him sotto voce. 

The AV club kid waved them away with profuse thanks as Steve popped up from around the other side of the cart. “Sorry about that,” he chirped. “Didn’t mean to hold you both up.”

“Oh my god,” Bucky whispered. Steve was apologizing. To them. For helping some random kid he didn’t even know. 

“It’s fine,” Natasha dismissed. “Come on. We’ve got lunch to eat.”

At lunch it was more of the same. He spoke to the cafeteria workers like he knew them all his life, earning a smile and extra fries from the meanest old lady in the school’s employ. She was famously stingy with the french fries. And yet. 

Bucky was still staring in wonder at the extra serving of fries when Clint threw himself bodily onto Natasha. “Hey, guys. Hey, new guy.”

“Off, Barton,” Natasha said placidly.

“Hi,” Steve smiled and waved, immediately offering his extra serving of fries. “Want some?”

Clint sat up straight, much to Natasha’s pleasure. “I love you, new guy. Marry me.”

“It’s Steve. And I’m saving myself for someone interested in more than my fries.”

Bucky subtly moved closer to Steve. Natasha’s eyebrow rose. Perhaps he wasn’t as subtle as he hoped. 

“Well, I also like your button up-khaki combo,” Clint pointed out. 

Steve narrowed his eyes. “I feel like you’re making fun of me, but it doesn’t seem malicious so I’ll let it slide.”

Bucky snorted again while Natasha shook her head. “He’s not joking. He has a crush on Mr. Coulson. He definitely likes the button up and khaki trouser combo.”

“Natasha, he’s so competent and attractive.” Clint threw himself forward, burying his face in his arms. He was wearing a cut off shirt, so his arm muscles looked particularly bulging and good for hiding in. Bucky wondered idly if Steve was an arm guy and if he should borrow some of Clint’s shirts. Maybe cut some sleeves off his own. 

“This is your fault,” Bucky told Natasha with a dry expression. Clint only came back up from his arms to grab a few more fries. “You know better than to bring Coulson up when Clint’s around. We’re trying to make a good impression on Steve.”

Steve laughed as Clint wistfully moaned out Coulson’s name. “Mr. Coulson is a handsome man. And he looks good in glasses.”

So Steve was attracted to men then. Interesting. Bucky scooted a little bit closer to Steve, trying to look like he was just adjusting his position. When Natasha’s other eyebrow came up, he knew he failed. However, his knee was touching Steve’s. That was a success.

For the second time, Clint sat up with almost preternatural speed. “Steve, you get it. You just get it, man.”

By the time the bell rang for class, Clint had eaten all of Steve’s extra fries while detailing all the ways Coulson fit the hot older man archetype, Steve agreeing with every point. Bucky was only slightly jealous as the two walked off towards their shared class together, Clint’s arm draped over Steve’s shoulders like it belonged there. 

“Stop staring, Barnes,” Natasha drawled. “I don’t care how cute his ass is, we’ve got class.”

“It’s pretty damn cute.”

“Class not ass, Barnes.”

 

Last class of the day was PE and Bucky practically threw his arms in the air in celebration when he saw Steve in the locker room. One of the coaches was talking to him, pointing out a free locker and handing him a brand new uniform. Bucky thanked the heavens that Steve was put in the same row of lockers as him. Then he took a moment to wonder if that was a really pervy thing to think. 

“Hey, Steve,” Bucky aimed for casual, leaning against the lockers as Steve put his things away. 

Steve beamed and Bucky’s heart gave a little sputter. “Hey, Buck.” Did he just call him Buck? He did. He gave him a new nickname out of his nickname. Cute. “I’m glad to see you! It’s kind of lame we only share the two classes, though.”

Bucky’s tongue felt too dry and heavy in his mouth so he did the next best thing to talking. He ripped his shirt off. 

By the time he had his locker open and his PE clothes on his body, he felt ready to speak. But then he turned back to Steve only to see the blond staring at him, blue eyes wide and starry while his sharp cheekbones were colored a faint pink. He wondered if a victory lap was too gauche. He settled for a very self-satisfied twist of his lips. He had even put on his flatteringly tight black boxer briefs that morning. What a wonderful coincidence.

Steve coughed, tearing his eyes away as he fumbled into his own uniform. Bucky tried not to stare, but Steve had stared too so he didn’t feel all that bad about having a few peeks. Steve was skinny, bony, and he was one of the best things Bucky had ever seen shirtless. Also, Steve wore flatteringly tight grey boxer briefs. Perfect. 

“Ready?” Bucky waltzed away, feeling lighter than air and wondering if asking Steve to coffee or maybe ice cream or pizza or something would be too forward. 

“Y-yeah,” Steve stuttered, catching up to Bucky’s side. 

When the coaches ordered them to do a mile Bucky slowed down to Steve’s pace. Normally he sped through the mile, wanting to be done so he could sneak off to the bleachers or to the empty section of field where Natasha and other members of the dance team practiced in place of their general physical education requirements. Instead he kept apace with Steve, earning a few curious glances from the shorter boy. But Steve never pointed out that Bucky was taller and more muscular and thus more likely to run at a faster pace. And Bucky was allowed to watch Steve surreptitiously out the corner of his eye. 

When they finished their laps around the track, they were dismissed to free play.

“Anything you prefer?” Bucky asked Steve, glancing at the few sad, deflated footballs that were being tossed around. He snatched a bat and ball before anyone else could grab them. “Baseball?”

“Sure,” Steve grinned. Bucky tossed the ball at him, pleasantly surprised when Steve caught it easily before tossing it in the air and re-catching it a few times. His hand-eye coordination was pretty good. “I could bat a few rounds.”

Bucky was just about to reply with a witty rejoinder while basking in Steve’s cheeky grin when a large form shoved into Steve’s shoulder, nearly pushing him to the floor. Someone snatched the bat from Bucky’s hand and Bucky’s hackles rose as Rumlow and his jeering pals came into sight. 

“Hey, Barnes. Who’s the twig?” 

Steve’s smile was replaced by a thinning of his lips. Bucky glanced around, noticing that the few coaches out there were looking in the complete opposite direction. 

“Fuck off, Rumlow,” Bucky sneered. 

“Not so nice, Barnes,” Rumlow tsked. “We just want to play a game with your new friend.”

Steve’s eyes hardened in a glare. 

Rumlow put a hand to his heart, mock offended. “Not so friendly either. You know,” Rumlow said airily as he repeatedly jabbed Bucky’s chest with the tip of the bat, “I think we ought to have a little lesson on friendship.”

Bucky’s mouth twisted into a snarl as Rumlow turned to Steve, bat pointed at Steve’s stomach. Steve sprang forward, knocking the bat to the side and throwing a punch. Rumlow let out a pained grunt, dropping the bat completely as his hand came up to his bloody nose. 

“You broke my nose!” Rumlow shouted. 

Bucky wasn’t sure who threw the next punch or when Rumlow’s friends joined in. All he knew was that one moment he was standing there, the next he was in the middle of a brawl. 

 

Bucky and Steve sat outside Principal Fury’s office, awaiting their sentence. Bucky kept grabbing more tissues from the secretary’s desk since Steve’s lip was still bleeding pretty bad. 

He stared at the shorter boy, astounded by his complete nonchalance about the whole thing. Bucky was quietly shitting bricks. “I can’t believe you got into a fight on your first day of school.”

Steve shrugged. “It’s fine. This was self-defense and those guys outnumbered us. That’s why they had Rumlow and his goons go in first and actually called their parents to get them. They pretty much instigated the fight, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were suspended. We were just defending ourselves. We’ll get chewed out a bit. Violence isn’t the answer, zero tolerance, that sort of thing. And they’ll call our parents to let them know.”

“Why are you not more freaked out about this?” Bucky demanded. 

Steve turned his head, brows furrowed in concern. “Do you think your parents will be mad when they find out? Are you going to be grounded?”

“No, I don’t think so. Not if I don’t get suspended and if I explain myself properly.”

“Then why are you so freaked out?” 

Bucky opened his mouth just to close it a second later. 

Steve grinned. There was still blood on his teeth. “See? It’s fine.”

Bucky gawked. “Steve, how many fights have you been in?”

Humming thoughtfully, Steve took a moment. “Ok, so do you want me to include the fights my last school didn’t find out about or officially recorded fights only? Do fights outside of school count?”

“Oh my god.” Bucky felt like the world no longer made sense. He, leather jacket wearing, long hair having, eyeliner smudging Bucky Barnes, had never been in an honest to god brawl. But Steve Rogers, the sweetest looking boy in the world, was a repeat offender. 

“Even with all the fights, I was only suspended once,” Steve commented easily, hands waving through the air as he gesticulated. “And that was a misunderstanding between me and the administration. I mean, sure, the guy technically didn’t hit me first. But he was carving a swastika into the library table along with some pretty foul language and when I told him to stop he didn’t so punching him seems fairly justified to me.”

Bucky honestly had no words. 

“Barnes!” Fury came out of his office, his single eye leveling Bucky with a no nonsense stare that had him fidgeting. “I just called your parents and you’re formally reprimanded. I don’t want another incident like this, are we clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then you’re free to go.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Rogers, in here with me. I’ve just had quite the conversation with your former principal as well as your mother. I think we need to have a chat about your future behavior in my school.”

Steve rose from his seat, looking up at Principal Fury with guileless eyes. “Of course, sir.” He turned back, waving enthusiastically as he smiled a sunny, blood tinged grin. “See you later, Bucky.”

Bucky returned Steve’s wave, staring at Fury’s closed door for a few dazed moments.

 

Bucky Barnes fell in love with Steve Rogers on a Tuesday. 

**Author's Note:**

> -This is Natasha, Bucky, Steve, and Clint's senior year  
> -Natasha is the school badass, head dancer (she does ballet, gymnastics, and martial arts on her own time), and a star student. She's valedictorian for sure (Tony and Bruce graduated early). Born in Russia, but her accent is virtually non-existent unless she wants it to be heard. Speaks Russian when she's mad or very, very happy. It scares people who can't tell which is which. She snaps up Steve almost as soon as she sees him in Biology. They spend the entire lab doing the work while making dorky jokes together. When he volunteers to put up the blood drive flyers, she volunteers too so they can hang out and joke around more. She also knows Bucky is going to adore him so she wants credit for that romance.  
> -Bucky was bound for football super stardom (the football team was where he learned his hatred for Rumlow) until a left shoulder injury his sophomore year. It healed but by then he had already traded in his All-American charm city quarterback persona for Winter Soldier chic. Leather jackets, long hair, lots of black, messy eyeliner, combat boots. The works. His personality didn't change that much though, he's still a sweetheart. The biggest personality change was that he doesn't turn the charm on for just anyone anymore. But he's still got it. Steve is given a full dose of the Barnes charm and they get together almost immediately.  
> -Steve and his mom only just moved, so he had to transfer schools. He's not all that upset because he didn't have a ton of friends there. Sam's his friend, but he graduated a year before Steve and is already in college. Peggy was also there, but she was on a study abroad/student exchange program so she left too. She totally kissed him right before she had to leave. Steve has no luck with time in any universe. His last school's administration is not that upset at his transfer because the boy got in a lot of fights. A lot. More than any other student. And he somehow could always prove that it was self-defense or some other reason why they couldn't suspend/expel him. He made a very compelling argument to the administration when he punched the student carving the library table up with hate speech (it was Red Skull, but as a teenager). With Sarah Rogers at his side, he talked them down from expulsion, to two week suspension, to three day suspension. It was astounding. He has a crush on Bucky almost immediately. While Bucky is admiring all the stuff Steve does, Steve is admiring him right back. Also he still loves art and has asthma, so please imagine him being pulled off Rumlow by a teacher, landing one last punch to Rumlow's face, and then reaching into his gym shorts' pocket and puffing on his inhaler. Because that's absolutely what happened.  
> -Clint is just a real cool guy. He does archery outside of school (he wins competitions and that cash money) and shows off his arms at every opportunity. I'm talking so many cut off sleeves. He's got a big ass crush on Coulson. It started out funny for Natasha and Bucky but it has reached exasperating levels. Steve has won his undying loyalty by giving him food and talking about Coulson with him. They will go on to share a very special friendship that involves food, talking about cute people, making friends with dogs, and being occasional disasters. A true, beautiful friendship.  
> -Coulson is the history teacher. Also, like everyone else here he's aged down. So while I think current Phil Coulson is a handsome older gent, Mr. Coulson the history teacher is a younger hottie. He's an excellent teacher, pretty lax about certain behaviors, the students know not to screw up too bad because the consequences are terrifying. He got his teaching credentials after being in the military. Clint's crush is very understandable. Also, Coulson has no clue about it. I'm talking oblivious. Even Fury knows Clint is crushing hard. But Coulson just thinks Clint is an attentive student who is very interested in history.  
> -Fury is the Principal and he does a damn good job. No one knows how he lost his eye. No one brings it up. He's stern but fair and his school runs like a well oiled machine. He has to give Steve a hard time for being a firebrand but he actually likes it. Still wears the eye patch and leather coat. Iconic


End file.
